3 Monster Writing Tips From 3 Monster Writers
And how I use them to make money online.
I started a daily blog when I was 25 because Seth Godin told me to.
It changed my life.
The results?
- I accidentally got decent at writing.
- My email list grew from 0–100 in a year.
- I became a clearer thinker and communicator.
- My friends & family got regular updates on my life.
- Derek Sivers reads my articles.
- I started my first book.
I’ve encouraged my friends to write regularly ever since. I even built a free creator community.
I don’t know what will happen if you publish 100 things (blogs, videos, podcasts)…But I know very good things will happen.
Here are 3 tips from a few of my favorite writers. 🤓
1) Focus on the work in front of you—Anne Lamott
Anne wrote Bird by Bird, a beautiful guidebook for writing and life. The title comes from a story about her brother.
He procrastinated a school science project on birds. The night before it was due, he sat at the kitchen table crying next to a chaotic pile of papers and photos.
“Bird by bird buddy,” their dad reassured him. “Just take it bird by bird.”
Sometimes I get lost in the vision. 🙌
I worry about why I haven’t accomplished my 5-year goals yet. Why I’m not a millionaire yet. If my current path will eliminate my student loan debt anytime soon.
Blah blah blah.
We often obsess over steps 46 and 47 when we’re only on step 2 or 3.
Focus on the work in front of you. Take it one action at a time.
Building a content business that allows you to travel, pay of debt, and hire employees is a lovely dream.
But for now, just record your next video. Write your next page. Edit your last thing.
Don’t overcomplicate things. Do more of what you know you should do. Do it better every week.
I recently stressed out about how to get this email list from 1,000–10,000 subscribers.
I watched videos. I almost bought a newsletter course.
Then I sat down here, looked at my Apple Note with content ideas, and started typing out this post.
Bird by bird.
2) Either write, or do nothing—Neil Gaiman
Niel is an author who wrote some of my favorite fiction novels including The Graveyard Book and Coraline.
He uses a simple rule when he writes. He can either:
- write
- do nothing
He doesn’t have to write. He can stare at the wall in his garden shed for four straight hours if he wants.
But he eventually gets so bored that the only option is to start writing.
I adopted this into my deep work system.
No phone. No social media or email. No talking.
Just creating…or doing nothing.
3) Make something so good, people market it for you—Alex Hormozi
Uncle Alex wrote my two favorite business books:
- $100M Offers (what do I sell?)
- $100M Leads (who do I sell it to?)
Many authors spend two months putting something together, publish it, then spend the rest of their lives trying to get people to buy it.
Great authors spend years creating something incredible. Then, people who read it love it so much that they tell their friends about it. And if it’s really good, that process repeats long after the author dies.
(e.g. Shakespeare didn’t have a Marketing Director. He wrote plays so good that get performed around the world 408 years after his death.)
When something is educational, entertaining, or valuable enough, it sells itself. But it takes work.
“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
My most successful article is about how I started my coaching business. I wrote it right after I went full-time.
It’s the most effort I ever put into an article. I spent around 40 hours writing, editing, and SEO-checking it. Then I got it edited by someone else.
3+ years later…it still gets read, liked, and shared more than any other thing I wrote.
Here’s how Uncle Alex breaks it down: 🧔🏻♀️
Writing a 90/100 book takes lots of effort and gets good results.
Writing a 95/100 book takes 10x the effort but gets 100x results.
Writing a 97/100 book takes 100x the effort but gets 10,000x results.
Obviously these are bro science numbers. But the idea holds up. Results are not linear; they’re exponential.
If I had put even more effort into that article, I would have received even better rewards today.
Early on, I wrote one blog per day to focus on quantity over quality. But as I improved and found my voice and style, it made more since to do fewer posts and raise the quality.
Now I write one email every Monday and make sure it’s damn good.
In summary:
- Focus on the work right in front of you.
- Either create, or do nothing.
- If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.
If you want to follow my journey to $50k/month, get lessons from top 1% creators, and join me as I travel the world with my laptop…
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